Until the recent recognition of Deaf culture and the legitimacy of signed
languages, majority societies around the world have classified Deaf people as
“disabled,” a term that separates all persons so designated from the mainstream
in a disparaging way. Damned for Their Difference offers a well-founded
explanation of how this discrimination came to be through a discursive exploration
of the cultural, social, and historical contexts of these attitudes and behavior
toward deaf people, especially in Great Britain.

Authors Jan Branson and Don Miller examine the orientation toward and
treatment of deaf people as it developed from the 17th century through
the 20th century. Their wide-ranging study explores the varied
constructions of the definition of “disabled,” a term whose meaning hinges
upon constant negotiation between parties, ensuring that no finite meaning is
ever established. Damned for Their Difference provides a sociological
understanding of disabling practices in a way that has never been seen before.